Jade Chicken Soup

Ingredients:
Boneless skinless chicken - 50 gms
Egg whites - 2 or 3 (based on individual liking)
Spinach leaves - 1 handful(can use any odorless, used ponnanganni keerai (green copper dwarf leaves))
Cornstarch - 1-2 tablespoons (as thick required)
Garlic paste - 1 tablespoon
White or black pepper powder - 1 -2 teaspoon (as spicy required)
Salt  to taste
Oil - 2 tablespoons

Method:

Boil a cup of water, when it boils, add spinach. Cook it for 2 minutes, and keep it closed for 10 minutes.

Once it is cool, drain water, blend it as a paste and keep aside.

Chop chicken to small pieces. Saute it with little oil, 1/2 tablespoon of garlic and salt to taste.

Cook it for 10-15 mins, until the water oozes dries up.

Allow it cool and shred it to pieces.

Beat egg whites and keep it aside.

Mix cornstarch in 2 tablespoons of water and keep aside.

Heat a wok with little oil. Add rest of the garlic paste, and shredded chicken and saute it for 2 minutes.

Add spinach paste, salt and pepper powder. Saute it until raw smell goes off.

Add 3 cups of water and bring it to a boil.

Reduce flame and add dissolved cornstarch, carefully stirring it.

Depending on the thickness you require, can adjust the cornstarch.

Cook for 5 more minutes and then add beaten egg whites little by little.

Mix it with ladle, so eggs would be into pieces.

Garnish with pepper powder and serve hot.


Variations:
Can add vegetables like sauted carrot, lettuce, etc.

Chopped spinach can be added instead of making it paste. Kids might not like it;-)

Chicken stock can be used instead of water.

Tom Yum Prawn Soup

Tom Yum or Tom Yam soup - name derived from two thai words, 'Tom' refers boiling process and 'Yum' or 'Yam' refers to the spicy and sour flavours. Feels good to have it on a rainy day or when we are having a severe cold and headache ;-)

Thailand's signature dish which is widely prepared with variety of variations. But still, the main ingredients remain lemongrass, galangal, kaffir leaves. It was proven that these ingredients along with cumin and grachai helps in reducing Cancer risk. These form the main ingredients of Thai cuisine, so you can try thai dishes often to boost your immune system.

Source here.

Even if you don't get fresh ones, go for dried bottled spices. My variation of tom yum soup below:

Ingredients:
Prawns - 10-12 nos
Tomatoes - 2 sliced
Galangal (Thai ginger) - 1 inch piece, sliced
Kaffir leaves (Lime leaves) - 8-10 leaves
Lemon grass - 2 stalks, sliced into small pieces
Lemon - 1 (extract juice)
Thai chilies (Green/Red) - 4 nos each (Thai red chilies will be damn hot, so I use a mix, adjust accordingly for spice level)
Button Mushrooms - 4-5 (optional), sliced
Oyster or Fish sauce - 1/2 tablespoon (optional)
Chicken stock cubes - 2 (I used Knorr ones)
Coriander leaves few for garnishing
Salt to taste
Water - 4 cups


Method:

Peel, devein and wash the prawns and keep aside.

Boil water in a large pan. Add chicken stock cubes and mix well until it dissolves.

Then add galangal, lemon grass, kaffir leaves, tomatoes, chilies and bring it to a boil.

Add prawns, mushrooms and cook for 3-5 minutes, depending on the size of the prawns.

Once prawns are cooked, add oyster sauce and mix well.

Taste and add salt as oyster sauce has salt in it.

Switch off the flame, add lemon juice and mix well.

Garnish with coriander leaves and enjoy it hot.

Note: If it is too spicy, adjust adding more lemon's juice.


Cooking time 15-20 minutes
Serves 4 people

Macroni Vegetable soup

At last, successfully posted this recipe. More than me, my hubby would be happy ;)
This one I usually prepare when I dont want to eat rice. You can add any vegetables of your choice. Simple and quick for your lunch too.

Ingredients :
Macroni - 1 cup
Onion - 1, chopped
Garlic - 3 pods, finely chopped
Vegetables - 1 cup (Mix of carrots, beans, peas, fresh corn kernels, etc - I used beans, peas & corn kernels)
Butter - 1 teaspoon
Corn flour - 1 tablespoon (optional, if you want your soup to be thick)
Milk - 1 cup
Pepper powder - as spicy required
Coriander leaves/Spring onions - few, chopped for garnishing
Salt to taste

Method:
Boil macroni in 1-1/2 cups of water with salt and 1 teaspoon of cooking oil.

Cook for few minutes until they are soft. Drain the water and keep aside.

Heat butter in a pan. Add chopped garlic and onions and fry for 5 minutes.

Add the vegetables and saute for few minutes. Add 3 cups of water and bring it to boil.

Once they are cooked, add macroni, salt to taste. Dissolve corn flour in 1/4 cup of water and add to it.

Stir well and add milk to it. Heat for 5-10 minutes.

Garnish with coriander leaves, pepper powder and serve hot.

Note: Vegetable or Chicken broth can also be added instead of water.


Cooking time : 20-30 minutes
Serves 3 persons

Kartoffelsuppe

Wondering what is this ..... it's a German dish, more or less, like our cream of Potato soup from HAN's;)

Wanted to participate in AWED-German event, hosted by my friend, Lakshmi of Kitchen Chronicles, which was started by DK.


To be frank, I browsed for recipes, but found few, more time consuming, and few needed me to buy few ingredients. Difficult to spend more time for cooking or shopping, with Thaswika around, nowadays its a difficult task. Hubby is also too busy and working late hours:(

So found this simple soup recipe here , just to give my entry for the event. But it came out well, MUST TRY:)

Ingredients:

Potatoes - 2, medium sized
White Onions - 1, medium sized
Celery - 3/4 stalks with leaves
Bay leaf - 1
Butter - 2 tablespoon
Milk - 2 1/2 cups
Salt to taste
Oil - 1/2 tablespoons

Method:
Wash, peel and cube potatoes. Chop onion and celery.

Heat oil in pan, saute onion, potatoes, celery for five minutes.

Add water to it, until the vegetables are covered.

Then add bay leaf and salt to it, boil until they are tender.

Drain the excess water, reserve it and allow it to cool for few minutes.

Mash vegetables in a mixer nicely, add it to the reserved stock.

In a pan, heat butter and add this to it. Thin soup by slowly adding milk.

Keep stirring for few minutes, but do not boil.

Tasty kartoffelsuppe is ready to serve.


Cooking time : 20 minutes
Serves 4 persons

Now to an award and a tag....

Priya Raj(http://ennsamaiyal.blogspot.com/) passed me "HONEST SCRAP" award. Thank you for sharing it with me!!!

Rules are:

I must thank the person who gave me the award and list their blog and link it

I must list 10 honest things about myself (THIS I DON'T LIKE;))

I must put a copy of The Honest Scrap Logo on my blog.

I must select at least 7 other worthy bloggers & list their links

I must notify the bloggers of the award and hopefully they will follow the above three requirements also.

Thought so much writing this.....;)

1. Honest towards my work, whatever or whichever is allocated to me.

2. Simple, Caring, Trustworthy, Friendly, Lazy sometimes,

3. Can do anything for those who love me truly.

4. Avoid people who talk at the back, those who ditch, those who compare. Completely ignore them.

5. Hate, when people tell lies or cheat, as though I won't knew that it is a lie. Can't take it!

6. Love to travel and explore new places, but always avoid if any risk is involved while enjoying!

7. Won't trust people so easily and once I trust, I will be always for them.

8. GOD fearing. Think many times, before I have to do anything wrong;), that GOD won't punish me for that deed;)

9. Sometimes not bold to face problems. But, too cautious not to get them.

10. Very possessive towards that I own!

Would like to pass the award to

Priti - http://indiankhanna.blogspot.com/

Shama - http://easy2cookrecipes.blogspot.com/

Lakshmi Venkatesh - http://delightsofcooking.blogspot.com/

LG - http://www.tasteofmysore.com/

Priya - http://priyaeasyntastyrecipes.blogspot.com/

Sripriya - http://www.srikarskitchen.org/

Vidhya - http://iyercooks.blogspot.com/

And LG http://www.tasteofmysore.com/ has tagged me for ABC's... so here it is

1) A - Available/Single ? Available, but to my husband only

2) B - Best Friend ? My hubby

3) C - Cake or Pie ? CAKE

4) D - Drink of choice ? Ice Lemon Tea

5) E - Essential item you use every day ? Tissues.

6) F - Favourite color ? Lavender

7) G - Gummy Bears or Worms ? Gummy Bears

8) H - Hometown ? Chennai

9) I - Indulgence ? Blogging and Facebook

10 ) J - January or February ? Jan

11) K - Kids and their names ? 1, Thaswika

12) L - Life is incomplete without ? Love

13) M - Marriage date ? July 6

14) N - Number of siblings? 1

15) O - Oranges or Apples ? Oranges

16) P -- Phobias / Fears ? When someone die near my place and I am alone at home

17) Q - Quote for today ?

"A heart breaking isn't always as loud as a bomb exploding.. Sometimes it can be as quiet as a feather falling.. And the most painful thing is, no one really hears it, except you.."

18) R - Reason to smile ? Anything funny

19) S - Season ? Winter

20) T - Tag 4 people ?

Priti -http://indiankhanna.blogspot.com/,

Shama - http://easy2cookrecipes.blogspot.com/,

Priya - http://priyaeasyntastyrecipes.blogspot.com/,

Sripriya -http://www.srikarskitchen.org/

21) U - Unknown fact about me ? Let it be unknown ;)

22) V - Vegetable you don't like ? Broccoli

23) W - Worst habit ? Biting nails :D

24 ) X - X-rays you've had ? Someone wants them? What the hell ;)

25) Y - Your favourite food ? curd rice with tasty pickle

26 ) Z - Zodiac sign ? Scorpio

Brown Parade

Brown Parade .....................

.............. for Sunshinemom's this month FOOD IN COLOURS event.




This month its "BROWN", so displaying all my 'brown' recipes;)


Click on the names for the recipes.......

Vermicelli(Semia) Upma

Karunai Kizhanghu Podimas (Yam Stir Fry)

Gulab Jamuns

Simple Tomato Rasam(Pepper Water)

Vangi bath (Brinjal / Eggplant rice)



Murukku


Pala Kottai (Jackfruit seeds) fry




Kachori

Vazhaipoo(Plaintain Flower) Vadai

Onion Samosa

Fried Idlies

Gooseberry Soup/Rasam and AFAM - Roundup

Everybody was wondering what happened to me.... hmmm.... busy shifting my house and started working now:)

Suddenly became too busy, but give me some time to cope up, will come back and bug you all again ;)

and ...... now to the A Fruit of the Month - Gooseberry Roundup:)



Guess, I have chosen a rare fruit, since many of my friends were not able to get it in market, including me too :( ;)

But I would suggest my friends living otside India, to get them as it has valuabe health benefits..... Read on.....


Amla enhances food absorption, balances stomach acid, fortifies the liver, nourishes the brain and mental functioning, supports the heart, strengthens the lungs, regulates elimination, enhances fertility, helps the urinary system, is good for the skin, promotes healthier hair, acts as a body coolant, flushes out toxins, increases vitality, strengthens the eyes, improves muscle tone and it acts as an antioxidant.

The Indian Gooseberry belongs to the Euphorbiaceae family. This fruit is ripe in autumn season in wet forest of hill areas in Indian subcontinent. In India it is considered as a sacred tree. The fruit is very nourishing. It tastes sour. Both dried and fresh fruits can be used.

It provides remedies for many diseases so it is widely used in ayurvedic medicines. Gooseberry is very rich in Vitamin C. It contains many minerals and vitamins like Calcium, Phosphorus, Iron, Carotene and Vitamin B Complex. Amla is also a powerful antioxidant agent. Many health problems are conduced by oxidative damage (when body cells use oxygen they produce by-products that can cause damage). Antioxidant agents prevent and repair such damages. Vitamin C is a good antioxidant agent and so is Gooseberry.

The health benefits of amla include the following:

Picture Source : Janet Ching

Eye Care: Taking Gooseberry juice with honey is good for improving eyesight. It improves nearsightedness and cataract. It reduces intraocular tension.

Diabetes: Gooseberry contains chromium. It has a therapeutic value in diabetics. Indian Gooseberry or Amla stimulate the isolated group of cells that secrete the hormone insulin. Thus it reduces blood sugar in diabetic patient.

Heart Disease: Gooseberry strengthens heart muscles. So heart pumps blood flawless throughout the body.

Infection: Due to its antibacterial and astringent attributes the Indian Gooseberry protects against infection. It improves body resistance.

Diarrhea and dysentery: Due to its strong, cooling and laxative properties Gooseberry is useful for remedies for diarrhea and dysentery. It is a great relief for gastric syndrome and hyperchlorhydria (burning sensation in abdomen).

Hair loss: Amla is used in many hair tonics. It enriches hair growth and hair pigmentation. It strengthens roots of hair , maintains color and luster. Eating fresh fruit or applying its paste on hair roots improves hair growth and color.

Improving appetite: Consuming Gooseberry powder with butter and honey before meal improves appetite. It helps in balancing Nitrogen level and thus increases weight in a healthy way.

Anti aging: Amla prevents health related hyperlipidaemia through attenuating oxidative stress in the ageing process.

The fresh fruit contains more than 80% water, protein, minerals, carbohydrates and fiber. It is also used as remedies for fever, liver disorder, indigestion, anemia, urinary problems, respiratory problems, cerebral, gastro and cardiovascular illness. Gooseberry lowers cholesterol level. It increases red blood cell production and strengthens teeth and nails. So the Indian gooseberry or Amla as a fresh fruit or juice or in dried form is much good for your health.

This article was contributed by Thuvaneesa.

Source : OrganicFacts.net


Thats too long I guess.... ;) so over to the entries.....

First to the international recipes .....

Ivy's Black Forest Cherry and Gooseberry Cake

Janet Ching's Vanilla ice cream with quattro berries sauce & macarons

and Panfried white fish with red gooseberries sauce

Now to the different variations of Gooseberry pachadi's(kind of salad) I received.....

Vidhya Iyer's Gooseberry Pachadi

Jaishree's Amla Curd Pachadi

EC's Nellikai Pachadi

Jayasree Satish's Nellikkai Arachukalakki

Shama Nagarajan's Nellikai Chutney

Lakshmi Venkatesh's Refreshing Gooseberry Squash
She was not able to take a picture.... so I made her recipe and posting the picture next week;)

Now to mouthwatering pickle recipes......

Jaishree's Amla Pickle

Vidhya Iyer's Gooseberry Pickle

Vandana Raman's Gooseberry Pickle

Sowmya Madhavan's Nellikai Thokku

Divya Kudua's Gooseberry Dry Pickle

Mythreyee's Instant gooseberry pickle

And now to my Gooseberry soup/rasam:

Ingredients:
Gooseberry - 1
Cumin seeds - 1 teaspoon
Pepper - 2 teaspoon
Small Onions - 2-3, finely chopped
Curry leaves - few
Coriander leaves - few
Salt to taste
Oil - 1-2 teaspoons

Method:
Dry roast cumin seeds and pepper nad grind them to a fine powder/paste.

Wash gooseberry, cut into small pieces and grind it to a fine paste.

Heat oil in a pan and saute onions, curry leaves in it, until they become soft.

Add all the grind paste/powder, 2 glasses of water and salt to taste.

Bring it to a boil and switch it off.

Garnish with coriander leaves and serve hot with papads or can be had with rice too.


Cooking time: 15 minutes
Serves 2-3 persons

Please let me know if I have missed some entry.... see you all soon!

Simple Tomato Rasam(Pepper Water)

Pepper water is the best remedy for indigestion. Usually it is given to persons, who have recovered from a very high temperature.

Ingredients:
Ripe Tomato - 1
Tamarind - A small lemon sized
Mustard seeds - 1 teaspoon
Cumin seeds - 1 tablespoon
Pepper - 1-2 tablespoons (or as spicy required)
Garlic paste - 1/2 tablespoon
Red chillies - 2
Curry leaves - few
Coriander leaves - few
Salt to taste
Ghee/Oil - 1 tablespoon

Method:
Soak tamarind in 2 cups of warm water for 10-15 minutes and extract juice.

Put tomato in 1 cup of hot water for 15 mintues and crush it. Discard skin and seeds, if not required. (I used whole tomato).

Mix both extracts and keep aside.

Fry cumin seeds, pepper for 10 minutes and grind them to a fine powder.

Heat oil in a pan. Once it is hot, allow mustard seeds to splitter in it.

Add curry leaves, red chillies, garlic paste and fry until raw smell of garlic goes off.

Then add grinded pepper and cumin powder and fry for a minute.

Add the tamarind and tomato extract, salt to taste and heat for 15 minutes.

Switch off the flame when it is about to boil.

Garnish with coriander leaves and serve hot with rice.


Cooking time - 20 minutes
Serves 4 persons.

Happy Independence Day & Button Mushroom Soup

Indians are celebrating their 61st Independence day today. India got its freedom on August 15, 1947. Saluting the Nation, Jai Hind!!!

Happy Independence Day friends!!!

----------------------------------------------------

Over to Today's recipe.........................

Mushrooms are neither animal or plant. Some people consider them plants, but they differ from plants, since they lack chlorophyll that plants have, to manufacture their own food and energy. For this reason they are placed in a Kingdom of their own," The Kingdom of Fungi".

So, what are mushrooms? A mushroom is but the fruit of the fungal organism that produces them, just like an apple tree produces apples to bear seeds to ensure the continuation of it's species, so the fungal organism produces mushrooms that carry spores to ensure the continuation of it's own species.

Therefore, the mushroom is the reproductive organ for the fungus.

For more information about Mushrooms, click here.

I tried this for the first time, and my hubby said that, I am qualified to work in PastaMania!.... he he ;)


Ingredients:
Button Mushrooms - 8-10
Butter - 1 tablespoon
Garlic - 1 tablespoon, chopped
Onions - 1, medium sized, sliced
Cream - 1 cup or Full cream milk - 1 cup
Vegetable broth/stock cubes - 1 (I used Maggi cubes)
Pepper powder - 1/2 tablespoon or as spicy required
Coriander or parsley leaves - few, chopped
Salt to taste

Method:
Wash mushrooms well and cut into pieces.

Heat pan and add butter. Once it starts melting, add chopped garlic, onions and fry until onions are transparent.

Add cut mushrooms, pepper powder and saute for 5 minutes.

Then add 1 cup of water, salt to taste and vegetable stock cube to it and allow it boil.

Make sure that the cube dissolves completely. Then allow it cool.

Blend them coarsely, so that tiny lumps of mushrooms are left. It will taste great, while having the soup;)

Then heat the mixture on a low flame. Add cream or full cream milk and mix it gently until it comes to a boiling stage.

Add more salt if required. Garnish with coriander or parsley leaves.

Serve hot with croutons or garlic bread.


Cooking time - 25 minutes
Serves - 2 persons

One more closer look:

Note:
1. If you are using canned mushrooms, it might be salty. Check and add salt accordingly.

2. For one bowl of soup, add 4-5 mushrooms, so increase the quantity of it accordingly.

3. For non-vegans, instead of vegetable stock, we can replace chicken stock.


I am sending this to AWED - Italiano hosted by DK of Culinary Bazaar.

Unexpected Surprise & Chettinadu Kozhi(Chicken) Rasam

This was the Beautiful Card and the Cute Book marker which I received through post.... I jumped out of JOY .... never expected ..... It was from Lakshmi :)

She has invited me to "Kitchen Connect", an event which we are going to make it, in our next Foodies meet. I will be always there Lakshmi :)



Thank you so much for thinking of me and my friendship!!!

I feel honoured and proud to be a friend of YOU!!!

Hope we all have a long-lasting relationship!!!


************************************************

Now moving to today's recipe:

Last week, Solai published Chettinad Kozhi Rasam . Seeing the link, my hubby wanted to have it.

Previous day, we had Chettinad Chicken soup at a restaurant. Trust me, this rasam was far better than the soup we had ;)

Here is the picture of my Rasam:



I made it in the same way and used the same amount of ingredients, as she has mentioned here. It came out very well and is a light appetizer and very good for health too!

So DONT MISS TO TRY THIS!

Thank you very much Solai, for sharing the recipe.

Solai has a wonderful collection of Chettinad Cuisine! And I am going to ask you a request too... Can you please share Chettinadu biriyani recipe too ? ;) :-)

Now about Chettinad Cuisine:

Chettinad cuisine is the cuisine of the Chettinad region(Madurai, Tirunelveli, Karaikudi) of Tamil Nadu state in South India. Chettinad is one of the driest regions of south India. The Chettiar community, who are a majority in this region are a very successful trading community. Chettinad cuisine is one of the spiciest and the most aromatic in India.

Chettinad cuisine is famous for its use of a variety of spices used in preparing mainly non-vegetarian food. The dishes are hot and pungent with fresh ground masalas, and topped with a boiled egg that is usually considered essential part of a meal. They also use a variety of sun dried meats and salted vegetables, reflecting the dry environment of the region. The meat is restricted to fish, prawn, lobster, crab, chicken and mutton. Chettiars do not eat beef and pork.

Most of the dishes are eaten with rice and rice based accompaniments such as dosais, appams, idiyappams, adais and idlis. The Chettinad people through their mercantile contacts with Burma, learnt to prepare a type of rice pudding made with sticky red rice.

Chettinad cuisine offers a variety of vegetarian and non-vegetarian dishes. Some of the popular vegetarian dishes include idiyappam, paniyaram, vellai paniyaram, karuppatti paniyaram, paal paniyaram, kuzhi paniyaram, kozhakattai, masala paniyaram, adikoozh, kandharappam, seeyam, masala seeyam, kavuni arisi, athirasam, etc.

Source : Wikipedia

Chicken Soup (Microwave Cooking)

Chicken soup is simple to prepare, easily digestable, delicious and nutritious. Its a quick remedy for cold and flu.

Ingredients:
Fresh Chicken pieces - 1 cup (boneless, skinless)
Garlic - 2 cloves, finely chopped
Onions - 1, small sized, finely chopped
Pepper powder - 1-2 teaspoons
Water - 3 cups
Corn flour - 2 tablespoons
Coriander leaves - few, chopped
Salt to taste
Oil - 1 teaspoon

Method :
Add oil and chopped garlic, chopped onions to a microwave container and heat it in microwave for 30 seconds.

Wash chicken and add to it. Add 1 cup of water and cook for 5-10 minutes, until chicken is soft.

Remove the container from the oven, mash the cooked chicken.

Add pepper powder, corn flour, 2 cups of water, salt and mix it well. Cook it for 2-3 minutes. Remove container at the end of each minute, stir it well and cook again, so that no clumps are formed.

Garnish with coriander leaves and serve hot.


Cooking time : 20 minutes
Serves 3-4 persons.

Sweet Corn Soup (Microwave cooking)

Ingredients:

Fresh corn kernels - 3-4 tablespoons

Coriander leaves - few

Pepper powder - 1/4 teaspoon

Garlic paste - 1-2 teaspoon

Salt to taste

Water - 2-3 cups

Corn flour - 2 tablespoons (as soup thickness required)

Oil - 2-3 drops

Method :

Add oil and garlic paste to a microwave container and heat it in microwave for 30 seconds. Then add corn kernels, sprinkle water and cook for 5 minutes. Once it is done, smash corn slightly. Add 3 cups of water and cook for 3 minutes. Mix corn flour with it, stir it well, add salt and cook for 1 minute. If it is more watery, cook it for 1 or 2 minutes more . Garnish with coriander leaves and pepper powder. Serve hot with pappad or crackers. Very healthy and delicious recipe.

Cooking time : 10 minutes

Serves 2 persons.

Hot & Sour Veg Soup (Microwave cooking)

Ingredients
Finely chopped Vegetables - 3/4 cup (Carrot, Beans, baby corn, cabbage, peas, fresh corn kernels, etc)
Coriander leaves - few
Tomato sauce - 1 tablespoon
Chilli sauce - 1 or 2 tablespoon (as hot required)
Pepper powder - 1/4 teaspoon
Garlic paste - 1 teaspoon
Salt to taste
Water - 2 cups
Corn flour - 1 or 2 tablespoons (as soup thickness required)
Oil - 2-3 drops

Method :
Add oil and garlic paste to a microwave container and heat it in microwave for 30 seconds. Then add vegetables, tomato sauce, chilli sauce and sprinke water and cook for 3 minutes. Once it is done, mix corn flour with water, add salt and add it to the vegetables and cook for 1 minute. If it is more watery, cook it for 1 or 2 minutes more . Garnish with coriander leaves and pepper powder. Serve hot with garlic bread. Very healthy and delicious recipe.

Cooking time : 10 minutes
Serves 2 persons.